Getting Around Greece

The short version

Athens has a clean, fast metro. The islands are reached by boat and by short flights. Intercity coaches and trains cover the mainland. The two things that will actually shape your days are strikes called at short notice and, if you drive yourself, a set of licensing rules that are stricter than most visitors expect.

Strikes: plan for them rather than around them

The FCDO records regular strikes, sometimes called at short notice, disrupting buses, trains, ferries and air travel as well as road networks and borders. Nothing about this should put you off Greece. It does mean two habits: never make the final connection to an international flight the tightest link in the chain, and keep a night of margin before flying home. Our itineraries are built that way as a matter of course.

The Athens metro

It is the best way across the city and it is where the pickpockets are. Theft of passports, wallets and handbags is common on the metro and in crowded tourist places, particularly in the center. Carry the bag in front of you in a crush, keep your phone in a zipped pocket rather than a hand, and do not keep everything in one place.

Taxis

Use pre-arranged transport, or a taxi-hailing app where one is available: the FCDO names Uber and Free Now, which supply licensed cabs. The app also settles the fare question before it becomes a dispute, which is the main reason to prefer it to a street pickup at an airport or a port.

Ferries and island hopping

Boats are the transport, and weather and strikes both interrupt them. Book the legs that matter, treat a same-day double transfer as optimistic, and do not build an itinerary where a single canceled sailing costs you a flight. See the best time to visit for how the season affects sailing frequency.

Driving: what you need to hold

Hiring a car opens up the Peloponnese and the mainland interior, and it is the right choice for some trips. Check the paperwork before you book:

• the FCDO's guidance for British visitors is that a UK photocard license is valid in Greece, and that a paper license may need upgrading or an accompanying 1968 international driving permit. Drivers on other passports should confirm their own requirement, and an international permit is cheap insurance against an argument at the desk
• hire companies often set stricter terms than the law: a year of driving experience, a higher minimum age, an international permit even where the state does not require one
• provisional licenses are not valid in Greece for driving or hiring any vehicle

Driving: what the roads are like

Traffic is busy, fast and can be chaotic in the larger cities, and the FCDO notes that local drivers regularly ignore speed limits, including in built-up areas. At crossings, drivers do not always stop even when they should, and a green pedestrian signal can coincide with cars turning into the crossing. Cross with that in mind, on foot as well as at the wheel.

Drink driving is a serious offense. The threshold is low: being tested above two thirds of England's legal limit can bring a fine and possible imprisonment. The only sensible plan is none at all.

Mopeds and quad bikes, which is where people get hurt

Every year visitors are seriously injured or killed on quad bikes in Greece. If you hire one, get full instruction and proceed carefully, because you will be sharing the road with much larger and faster traffic.

The licensing detail catches people out. A moped needs a valid driving license with at least category A1, light motorcycle. UK category P, which allows a moped up to 50cc at home, is not valid in Greece. Drivers and passengers must wear helmets, and failure to do so may invalidate your insurance; if police stop you they will fine you and take your license. Check the machine is in good condition before you leave the forecourt, and read the cover: see the money guide on what hire insurance does not do.

Camping and motorhomes

Greece prohibits camping in tents and parking trailers, camper vans and motorhomes at archaeological sites, seashores, beaches, the edges of public forests and public areas in general. Use licensed campsites to avoid a fine. This is a change that has surprised returning visitors who remember the rules differently.

Read this with travel safety and accessible travel.

Sources

• UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office: Greece safety and security: terrorism, strikes and demonstrations, theft on the Athens metro, water safety, road rules, wildfires and earthquakes. Accessed 15 September 2026.
• UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office: Greece travel advice: no advisory against travel to any part of the country, and a high risk of wildfires from April to October. Accessed 15 September 2026.
• UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office: Greece entry requirements: Schengen area rules, visa-free stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period, the two passport validity tests, and the 10,000 euro cash declaration. Accessed 15 September 2026.